A Map of You
by subversivegrrl
Summary: Pure foolishness, fluff, and smut. Never doubt Carol's determination, and don't cross her when she's tense.
1. Discovery

**Chapter 1: Discovery**

* * *

In the calm after the loving, she lay halfway over him, nestling into his side, his hand warming her ribs, her knee up on his hip. He reached for the small of her back, pulling her in closer. Carol squeaked a little and wriggled distractingly against him, making him roll his eyes and squeeze her even tighter.

"Ticklish?"

"No."

"Ah. Hot spot, then?" His knuckles grazed down her spine, landing just below her waist, and she gasped and involuntarily squirmed against his hip. He quirked an eyebrow down at her and deliberately ran his nails lightly over the spot again, grinning when it produced the same response

"Wow. Nice," he mused. "Hey, got a piece of paper and a pen? Need to make some notes for further study."

She actually giggled at that one, until he pulled his arm out from under her and sat up. "You're not serious."

"Deadly serious, woman. I consider this a challenge: to find and commit to memory all the spots on you that get your motor runnin'."

"That's apt to take quite a while, Daryl," she teased, "unless you think you can just plot them out without, _hm_, paying a toll?"

"'S okay, I got time, and I'm prepared to ante up whatever you got in mind for payment. Where's that paper?"

* * *

_Her foot in his hands. His strong fingers pressing up into her instep, kneading firmly, his thumbs caressing the top of her foot. Bringing it up to his face, running his tongue between her toes. She can control neither her peals of laughter nor the reflexive darkening of her eyes, and tugs frantically against his grip. He solemnly sets down the foot and picks up the tiny notebook where he's been recording his findings, like he's charting a new world. _

* * *

Sometimes it seemed as though he had a secret source of information, like he'd been consulting an advance scouting report. He came up behind her while she was washing her hair in the sink and moved to replace her hands with his own, massaging the warm rinse water over her scalp, digging his thumbs into the curve at the base of her skull, until she moaned under his touch and sighed in boneless surrender. He took note of her utter relaxation and the firm peaks her nipples made under the thin t-shirt. She leaned back against him, grinding her backside against the front of his pants, then grabbed her towel and spun away, shooting a hot-eyed glance back at him and strutting out the door before he could stop her. He had to stand around for a few minutes and let things cool down before he could follow. It wasn't clear who had the upper hand in the game, at this point.

* * *

_She goes to turn the corner of the building, headed over to take down the dry laundry, and he's there, catching her wrist and swinging her into his arms, burying his mouth in the soft spot under her ear, nibbling at her neck. She swallows a shriek before it can leave her lips, finds herself clinging around his shoulders as her legs go rubbery under his assault. It's as if her entire body has turned into one giant erogenous zone, and he's playing Intrepid Explorer, investigating every inch of her he can in the infrequent snatches of time and out-of-the-way corridors they can find to be alone. She feels like she's a teenager again - the stealthy encounters, trying to maintain some semblance of decorum around the others, all the while her body is charged to a fever pitch of nerve endings and anticipation. _

* * *

It was becoming almost impossible to get any work done. All she wanted to do was drag him into bed and never get out again. Time to go on the offensive.

* * *

"Rick, could I speak with you for a minute?" The bearded man turned and waited for Carol, pausing on his way out into the yard. "In private, please." The sunny courtyard was about as private a space as they were likely to find, as long as no one else was close by and they kept their voices down, and Carol had no intention of broadcasting her intimate matters.

She wasted no time getting down to business. "We need a night off, Daryl and I both. At least twelve hours of no watch duty, no chores, no interruptions for Jude, _nothing_ that isn't strictly an emergency. You know I don't ask for much for myself, but I'm asking you now - we need some time alone."

Rick's eyes held his surprise at the sudden revelation that she and Daryl were now _we_, but he nodded readily, his hand coming up to clasp her arm warmly. "I have to say, I couldn't be more pleased. You both deserve some happiness."

"Happiness - and one blessed night without outside distractions?" she pressed.

Rick chuckled and shook his head, acknowledging how rare such a thing had become. "Of course, Carol. Whatever you need. We'll switch things up on the schedules and make it happen. I'm guessing you'd just as soon people not know exactly why?" She nodded; she had fully expected the man to understand how fragile this new thing still was, and she trusted his discretion. "It may take some doing, but I think we can arrange things without too much talk. My only concern is that keeping people from bothering you is going to be a bit of a challenge - everyone's so used to looking to you when they have questions. Daryl, too."

"I've got that part covered," Carol said, crooking a smile at him. "I don't plan to be anywhere people would think to look for me. For either of us," she amended.

"What night were you thinking? It might take a few days to wrangle this."

"Thursday should do it. I need a few days lead time myself."


	2. Expedition

**Chapter 2: Expedition**

The extra mattresses were stacked in a storage room and needed to be aired out anyway, before anyone could use them, so she enlisted some extra hands and dragged them out into the sunshine for the afternoon. No one seemed to notice that a few went astray on their way back into the building, nor that the returning pile wound up in a different place from where they'd started. Extra blankets were scarce, but she scavenged several, and a couple of extra pillows. Candles, one even made from real beeswax; some little herb sachets she'd sewn, a prized bottle of sweet almond oil Maggie had found in a health food store. A partial box of power bars (stale, but not too bad for a boost of energy.) Bottles of water, a cashmere scarf, a bag of scrap fabric from her mending. Some art supplies. Creativity of a different sort, here at the end of the world.

* * *

_She slips Daryl a note with his dinner plate, squeezing his fingers lightly to draw his attention to it. There's no reason why she can't just take him aside and tell him what she has planned, but the idea of covert communication appeals to her._ "Thursday, after dinner. Meet me in my cell, we're taking a special vacation." _The next time she looks up, his eyes are hooded and smoky. He likes the idea, too._

* * *

Once she had everything in place, she could hardly stand to wait for the day to be over. She felt like she would burst from tension and impatience, but she still had a few routine things to take care of before their time away could begin. The night before, she had thought Daryl was about to volunteer to switch watch shifts, ruining all of her and Rick's careful plans, and her heart nearly stopped until she heard Rick himself step in smoothly, offering to swap instead. She pulled Daryl sharply aside and whispered to him, "What part of 'special vacation' did you not understand, Mr. 'I Notice Everything'? Just so you're clear; we both have tomorrow night off, _together_, and I've gone to quite a bit of effort to make sure we get that time to ourselves, without interruptions. If you volunteer for _anything_ that interferes with that, I will stab you in the ass myself and shove you out the gates. _Do not get in my way on this_."

Daryl's look of shock was priceless, and as she turned on her heel to return to the kitchen, Carol wished, not for the first time, for a Polaroid camera to document it. His footsteps quickly caught up with her, and he leaned down, murmuring, "sorry. You gotta clue me in on things like this. You know I can be a dumbass."

She nodded, both agreeing and acknowledging her own frustration. "I'm sorry, too. I wanted to keep it completely a secret, so you'd be surprised, but there's no way to do that without - well, without what just almost happened. So now you know - no volunteering until we get back from vacation."

"Got it." He winked at her and said, "Y'know, I kinda like it when you get testy with me."

"Don't push it, Dixon. I'm wired a little tight right now."

"Y' don't say," he observed, and dodged the swipe she took at him.

* * *

While she helped with Thursday's dinner cleanup, Daryl hung around the dining hall, pacing and watching her like she was going to sneak out and disappear on him. Finally she'd gotten enough looks from the rest of the crew that she went over to him and said, under her breath, "Shoo, you. You're making everyone nervous. Go pack up your weapons and a change of clothes and wait for me in my cell. I'll be along in just a little bit."

He frowned at her, confused, and growing tense. "I thought you said we wasn't leaving the prison?"

She raised her eyebrows at him and said, "We're not, but since when do you go _anywhere_ without your crossbow? Besides, I did have to tell Rick where to find us, in case there's an emergency, and if there is, I damn sure don't want you to have to run back to your cell to retrieve your weapons. Vacation it may be, but there's no call to be stupid about it." He relaxed a little, gave her a quick one-armed hug, and slipped off to grab his gear.

* * *

_Eventually she's able to get away and take care of one final detail before she makes her way up to her cell, where he's waiting. Her own bag is already packed, and she takes Daryl's hand, leading him down into the lower level. Rick has organized some sort of games night in the library, and they manage to avoid encountering anyone else along the way. Carol smiles to herself and makes a mental note to find some special way of thanking Rick for his thoughtful foresight. _

* * *

When they reached the final turn, into the hall that led to the storage room, Carol stopped and put her hand on Daryl's arm. "Trust me?" she asked. He nodded, hesitantly. "If the whole thing couldn't be a surprise, I just want this part to be." She reached into her bag and pulled out the scarf, gesturing for him to turn around, and looped it over his eyes, tying it loosely behind his head. "Take my hand - it's only a few more steps."

She opened the door and led him inside, closing and locking the door behind them. "OK, you can take the blindfold off now."


	3. Cartography

**Chapter 3: Cartography**

Inside, the room was lit with the warm flicker of a dozen candles, stuck in bottles, dishes, and a few candlesticks, and there was a faint scent of honey. In the center was a nest made up of a double stack of mattresses, every blanket and pillow she could borrow, and a thick down comforter printed with garish roses. At Daryl's bemused look, Carol said, "That god-awful thing is courtesy of our good friend Rick, who helped make all of this happen and even arranged to get us some extra covering. It's ugly, but it's awfully cozy in this chilly room. I tested it, and it definitely does the trick."

"I think it's fuckin' _beautiful_." Daryl's voice was hushed, and his eyes were far away as he looked over the room. He turned and put his arms around her. "When did you find the time to do all of this?"

Carol grinned at him and said, "I've been a busy little bee. And your face right now - it was worth every minute, just for that."

"Oh, somehow I doubt that was _all_ you had in mind for tonight, darlin'." His voice had grown husky, and when she looked up, his eyes were dark with need. She tipped her face up to meet his lips, and he kissed her, sweetly, holding back. "I know _I_ have all sorts of ideas about how I want to spend the next - how long do we have?"

"About ten hours, maybe a little more. I tried to figure out how we could have a whole twenty-four, but…"

He snorted, and said, "Only if you want to kill me outright, woman. I don't think I could take a full day of lovin' you and not expire from exhaustion."

"We wouldn't want that, now, would we? We'll have to pace ourselves."

After the past weeks of lust-driven chase, they were both somehow peaceful, now that they could relax together without feeling like they had to cram days worth of sensation into mere minutes. Like they had all the time in the world, just the two of them.

* * *

_He undresses her ever so slowly, peeling away each layer and kissing every piece of skin as it is uncovered. He finds that she __is__ ticklish, but only at the backs of her knees, and he files that away for later consideration. _

_She presses her palms against his back, feeling his muscles ease as she strokes the tension from him. She traces all of his scars, discovering that some are deadened and others almost too sensitive to touch. For the first time, he doesn't flinch._

* * *

He resisted being blindfolded again, but was more than willing to let her bind his wrists behind him with a strip of fabric and hold him hostage while she slowly, exquisitely slid her mouth over his cock, flicking the flared head with her tongue briefly before engulfing him, making him groan, _fuck, Carol_, repeating the motions over and over again, taking him as deeply as she could stand. He shuddered as she dug her nails into his thigh, the pinpoint hurt pushing him past his control until he shot into her sweet hot mouth, the rush of sensation almost making him black out. When he could see again, her eyes were bright with triumph.

"You have no idea how hot it makes me, to do that."

"I believe I'm beginnin' to get one. Come up here and untie me, let's see what I can do to match it."

* * *

She'd never been more turned on in her life, straddling his dark head as he cupped her ass in both hands, then slipped one between her legs, gently spreading her lips and dipping his tongue to taste her. He slicked it up over her clitoris, teasing at the edge while his fingers slid into her, curling up to find the sweet spot inside. The other hand curved over her hip, came up to catch her fingers, interlacing them with his own, holding her fast as she rocked against his relentless mouth and gave in to the urge to scream as she came.

"Are you also keeping track of favorite positions, Daryl? 'cause that was a keeper."

* * *

_At some point she thinks,_ oh, I am going to pay for this tomorrow, _as he presses her legs wide and up over his shoulders and drives deep into her, the delicious friction of him ricocheting up through her until she feels like the top of her head might come off. The image makes her laugh out loud, the laugh turning into a bone-deep moan as another jolt flashes through her center. This time when she comes she arches so deeply she feels like her spine will snap, and she clutches him desperately to her, feeling him spurt inside. His weight on her is no burden; she makes a small, plaintive noise of protest when he pulls out, wanting to hold him tight inside her and never let him go._

* * *

They slept for a while, bundled under the ugly comforter; when Carol woke, most of the candles had burned out, and the few that remained guttered in pools of wax.

* * *

_He wakes to find her leaning over him, her breath feathering against his skin, her eyes on his face. When she sees his eyes are open, she bends to put her lips on him; draws a line with the tip of her tongue, from the point of his shoulder, over his collarbone and into the hollow at the base of his throat, tasting the salt of his sweat, feeling him swallow against her cheek. Pursing her lips, she blows softly across the damp trail she's left, and he shivers and groans a little, punctuating it with a low laugh. "What are you doin' to me?" _

_"Making a map of my own," she smiles, even though she knows he probably can't see it in the dim light. 'Have to make sure the ink dries, so it doesn't smear."_

* * *

When they left their hideaway, the gray dawn light was just beginning to show through the windows in the common area, and they put out their last candle, moving together through familiar spaces, not needing to see to know where they were going.

"Do you think we're done with all the sneaking around now, Daryl? I mean, it's been fun - believe me, I love the idea of grabbing you in the laundry room and…" She flashed a wide, wicked smile at him and tugged at his waistband. "But honestly? I'd like to wake up with you _every_ morning, not only when we're on vacation."

"Yeah."

"Yeah? No argument, no hesitation, just - _'yeah'_?"

"Yeah, as in, 'I'm too tired to think, and we should go to bed,' so - yeah."

"I think we just _were_ in bed, Daryl."

"You know what I meant, smart-mouth."

She leaned over and kissed him. "Sweet talker. So, your place or mine?"

"Don't matter. Just so long as you're with me. And you stop talkin'."

"OK, but one last thing: what happened to your notebook? Did you give up on it?"

"Nope. Don't need it any more." He took her hand and laid it against his chest, tapping the back of it with his fingers. "I got all my notes, right here."


End file.
